Nalen receives notice of intent to terminate his contract as Saugus High School football coach

Mike Gaffney saugus@wickedlocal.com @saugusnews

Wednesday

Sep 19, 2018 at 1:50 PMSep 19, 2018 at 2:12 PM

Anthony Nalen has been dismissed as head coach of the Saugus High School football team, according to his attorney Mike Castano.

Castano told the Advertiser that Nalen was teaching at Belmonte Middle School on Tuesday when Principal Myra Monto handed him a letter from Superintendent of Schools Dr. David DeRuosi Jr. that informed him he had been relieved of his coaching duties.

The reason cited in the letter, Castano said, was the failure to supervise players on the football practice field as a result of the same allegation that he was cleared of by police.

DeRuosi said that Nalen received a notice of intent to terminate his contract as the head football coach. As part of due process a hearing will be scheduled in the future, he noted.

“This has no impact on his employment as a middle school teacher,” DeRuosi said.

The Saugus Police Department investigated an alleged Aug. 17 hazing incident involving a Saugus High School football player.

In his report, Saugus Police Det. Sgt. Paul VanSteensburg wrote that DeRuosi told him he spoke to a parent who reported that her son told her he had to practice in his underwear on the first day of practice Aug. 17 because he was wearing the wrong color shorts.

Nalen, who was suspended as coach effective Aug. 30, released a statement last week in which he denied allowing a player to practice in his underwear.

“I was falsely accused of ordering a player to practice in his underwear as some form of hazing,” Nalen said in the statement. “I adamantly and completely deny any and all accusations made against me relating to this matter. My players are my first and only priority, and I would never do anything to hurt or embarrass anyone of them.”

In his statement, Nalen elaborated that players are told they must wear only black, white or red shorts when football camp begins.

“If a player shows up in different colored shorts,” Nalen said, “he or she is asked to go to the locker and change into the appropriate colored shorts or to wear football pants that are supplied by the school.”

According to Nalen, during the first two weeks of practice 17 players were asked to go back to the locker room to change into the appropriate colored shorts or pants.

“On each and every occasion the offending player went to the locker room and came back in what appeared to be black, red or white shorts,” Nalen said. “None of the coaches ever saw a player come out in underwear or they would have been asked to go back in the locker room.”

The police investigation cleared Nalen of any crime.

“At this point in the investigation I do not believe the elements of any criminal offense has been met,” VanSteensburg wrote in his report. “Hazing is spelled out in the Massachusetts General Laws as when a suspect conducts a method of initiation into any student organization while willfully or recklessly endangering the physical or mental health of any person. Coach Nalen adamantly denied knowledge that any player has practiced in their underwear. All other interviews conducted were hearsay statements from concerned parents. The players involved appeared in no way to have been endangered physically nor did any one of them wish to come forward to speak with us. The video clearly shows a student athlete on the practice field in short shorts that appear to be boxer-briefs, however that player does not appear to be treated any different than the others on the field. It does not appear that any child was singled out. Although it may be perceived by some parents that this policy about practice attire has been inappropriately enforced at times, pending further evidence the current information gathered in this investigation does not amount to a crime.”

Castano is seeking an injunction on Sept. 20 at Newburyport Superior Court to reinstate Nalen as head coach of the Sachems. The defendants are listed as DeRuosi and the Saugus Public Schools.

“If we win, I anticipate Coach Nalen will be at practice [Thursday] with a piece of paper declaring that he’s the Saugus High School football coach,” Castano said.

In court, Castano said he will present arguments that his client was the victim of a private vendetta and retaliation.

Castano said that Nalen is “distraught” after being dismissed as coach. He added that he has heard many Saugus High School football players want to quit the team because of the situation.

“They want their coach back,” Castano said.

Last week numerous Saugus High School football players rallied outside the Roby School Administration Building and in Saugus Center in a show of support for Coach Nalen.